The UCM team of 39 individuals participated in the academic areas of criminal law, police organization and management, juvenile justice, corrections and LAE knowledge. Competition also included individual and team firearms, crime scene investigation and physical agility.

The UCM team earned 48 of the 90 available trophies. In addition, Lucas Neff received the Top Academic trophy for the top score for the academic testing, and Taylor Bryan received and the Top Gun trophy as best marksman.

Competing in the Lower Division are students who have completed 12-69 semester hours. UCM’s students earned 12 of the 15 trophies in the five academic topics. The lower division also swept all three trophies in both individual and team firearms. The upper division also swept all trophies in the two firearm categories. In the academic tests, the upper group also earned 12 of the 15 trophies.

Four members of the professional division earned seven trophies; two in LAE Knowledge, one in juvenile justice, and one each in police administration, criminal law, firearms and physical agility. Three of the four in this group won in the team efforts. Therman Scott, Cynthia Ruggles and Greg Etter won in team firearms. Ruggles won in the area of LAE Knowledge, along with Roger Pennel, who also won in juvenile justice. Etter won in criminal law and police administration.

“The team showed good breadth, with 80 percent of the team members earning at least one individual or team trophy,” said Pennel, one of the team’s advisers. Of those receiving a trophy in firearms, 70 percent received a trophy in another area, in most cases this was an academic area.

Three of the lower division members, Neff, Levi Blue and Ian McCann, received a total of 13 trophies. This was the first competition for both Neff and Blue. Neff, in addition to a firearms team trophy for second place, earned trophies for first place criminal law and juvenile justice and second place in LAE Knowledge. Blue, in addition to a physical agility trophy, received awards in first place in correction and third place in criminal law, juvenile justice and police administration. McCann received two academic trophies, first place criminal law and LAE Knowledge and both an individual and team trophy in firearms.

The Lower Division led the way on the academic testing with their total sweep. In these five testing areas for all divisions, GED chapter won 29 out of 45 in written competition. The firearms competition did well, as it has done so in the past. For the Individual competition they won 6 of the 9 trophies, as well as 7 of 9 for the team shooting.

In firearms competition, Taylor Bryan, along with Tim Fink, Anthony Haus, Ryan Kanoy, McCann and Parker Smith earned both an individual and team trophy. Fink earned two additional trophies in correction and police administration. Haus performed well in corrections and criminal law. Sara Thomas was successful in the three areas of corrections, criminal law and juvenile justice.

The CSI lower division team finishing in second place consisted of Tom Hambrough, Amy Allen and Andrew Schwartz, and the upper division the team of Caroline Burk, Gregory Towe and Lynsey Sciolaro finished in third place. The second place professional team consisted of Jonathon Gluckert, Therman Scott and Gregg Etter.

In physical agility, Sierra Haymes won second place in the 25 and under group. Receiving first place finishes were Levi Blue in the 25 and under group and Therman Scott in 36 and over group.

The UCM team now is preparing for the national conference and competition in March 2014 in Overland Park, Kan., where they will compete for their twelfth consecutive national title. According to teach coach Gregg Etter, “We hope to be able to take 50-60 students in March, since it is close and our region, Region 3, is hosting the conference.”

Pennel, the president of Region 3 and 2014 National Conference Chairman, indicated that the average attendance each year is a little over 400 and he is hoping to attract closer to 500.